The present invention relates to a key cover, and more particularly to an easily applied key cover including means for identifying the lock which the covered key is intended to fit.
Since the commencement of the use of locks, key identification as to which lock a key is intended to fit has posed a problem. The advent of modern locks and locking systems which employ flat metal keys each having a head (also called a bow or tab) and a shank (also called a bit or shaft), has permitted the easy carrying of a large number of keys on a key ring or chain or in a key case, but the proliferation of keys to homes, garages, and offices, not to mention vehicles, renders it increasingly more difficult to sort through a group of keys and readily locate the right one. The fact that a number of keys from a given manufacturer may be virtually identical, except for the pattern of notches in the key shank, compounds this problem.
A number of attempts have been made in the past to mark or otherwise identify the destination lock for a particular key. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 312,545 discloses a key having a slot or recess in one side of the head into which a plate having an identifier thereon may be inserted; U.S. Pat. No. 2,549,228 discloses a key holder comprising two parallel flanges having a shaft at one end for extension through the hole in a key head, whereby the key can be rotated to fit between the flanges and an identifier placed on the outside of one of the flanges; U.S Pat. No. 3,618,346 discloses an identifier system using keys having abbreviated heads which are placed side by side in a key holder having a shaft at one end extending through parallel panels for securing the keys by their heads in the holder, and a cross-member extending between the panels and under the key shafts for receiving labels to identify each key; U.S. Pat. No. 4,305,267 discloses a one-piece key cover which stretches over the end or head of a key and covers one side thereof; U.S. Pat. No. 4,403,487 discloses a one-piece key identification cover into which a key is inserted bit first through a slot in the cover side, and the cover stretched around the head; U.S. Pat. No. 4,425,772 disclosed a key labeling system which uses elongated loops of wire, one end of each loop passing through a key head aperture, the other around a metal split key ring, the loop area between the ends being surrounded by a resilient sleeve carrying identifying indicia thereon; U.S. Pat. No. 4,601,185 discloses a key identifier comprising a series of strips or tabs on a key ring each secured to a key and extending beyond the shaft or bit tip of the key, each strip having an identifying shape on the end for selection of the correct key by the user; U.S. Pat. No. 4,768,362 discloses a one-piece elastic key marker which stretches over the head of a key, and on which an identifying inscription can be placed. In addition to the foregoing, U.S. Pat. No. 1,837,114 discloses a resilient sheet metal key head cover having tabs to fold over and grip the key head; U.S. Pat. No. 4,826,002 discloses several embodiments of a key case which covers the key head or tab and enhances the esthetics as well as facilitating the gripping of the key by the user.
All of the foregoing prior art attempts to produce a key cover possess drawbacks to practical use. For example, the identifier of U.S. Pat. No. 312,545 must use a specially made key; the identifiers of U.S Pat. Nos. 2,549,228, 4,425,772 and 4,601,185 add unacceptable bulk to a group of keys, are relatively expensive to produce and/or require assembly by the user when placing keys therewith; the identifier of U.S. Pat. No. 3,618,346 not only requires keys with special heads but also renders it impossible to view the key labels while the key shafts are in the holder; the stretch-fit key head covers of U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,305,267, 4,403,487 and 4,768,362 are of such design that they are difficult to apply for a person, such as an elderly person, having limited hand and finger strength and dexterity and in addition must be shaped at least in part to fit the key head shape; the cover of U.S. Pat. No. 1,837,114 is of metal and its tabs or flanges can snag the purse or pocket of the user, and in addition it, too, requires a shape to match that of the key head in order to provide a good, secure fit; the cover of U.S. Pat. No. 4,826,002 requires complex injection molding dies and adds significant bulk to both the sides and periphery of the enclosed key, and limits the size and shape of the key head being enclosed.